Bearers of the Darkness
by SuchAFckinNerd
Summary: Brutally forced into the darkness, then spat back out into reality, as if the world expected them to forget it all. But they couldn't. After they cross paths, will the two be able to overcome their pasts? Or be sucked right back into it? Gruvia, AU.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does._

* * *

 _Chapter 1 - Prologue_

* * *

 _A_ _blue blur, and eyes that were lifeless, as if she were death itself. That was the last thing the group of men saw before the blazing hot pain came. One by one, they fall with bursts of red staining the floor and walls. The screams echoed, still rattling deep within her skull. She gave them time to react, thoroughly enjoying the terror that became etched onto their faces right before meeting their demise. Hearing the sickening crack as the bullets shot right through their kneecaps gave her a thrill, satisfied with the way they wriggled and writhed in agony. Hopeless. Hysterical. Afraid. Unable to get away from their nightmare. It was disappointing that they would never get to know the full extent of the pain she experienced. With that final thought, she raised her gun once more. The screams diminished, as the bullets went through each and every one their skulls. She didn't even flinch as they crumpled to the floor, the life escaping their eyes._

 _After she was done, she moved onto the next task, reloading her gun. The house was eerily quiet now as she swiftly moved up the stairs. She kicked down the doors, hoping to find someone in them. She was greeted with emptiness and silence. She was down to the last door. She smirked as she gave a pounding kick to the door, knocking it straight down and out of its rusted hinges. It slammed to the ground, revealing a huddling figure. He was right across from her on the bed, frozen in the middle of the room. He had dark brown hair, buzz cut with gray hairs sprinkled around here and there. He had a bulky, muscled figure with skin tan, like caramel. He had multiple scars, across his face and all over his body. The most prominent was the scar that travelled from his left cheekbone all the way down the the right side of his chin, leading down to his neck. His eyes were wide and filled with intense fear for the girl. It was a pitiful sight, seeing a grown man tremble out of such cowardice._

 _"Now then Juvia... " he spoke up, reaching an arm out to her. " P-put the gun down. Daddy loves y-"_

 _Mid sentence, she raised her gun and shot that arm. He let out a gut wrenching scream, and clutched his it, trying to stop the bleeding. His face contorted with a mixture of pain and anger._

 _"You BITCH. YOU LITTLE STINKIN SHIT. " He cussed out, letting more curses escape his mouth._

 _Getting tired of hearing his vulgar language, she shot his other arm, this time near the middle. He screamed again. And again. And again. After both arms became useless, she shot both of his legs, bullets entering through his left knee and his right thigh. He then flopped down on the bed, unable to support himself with his now useless limbs. She walked towards the bed, leaning over his body, now stained a vibrant red. He looked up at her, his brown eyes once again filling up with fear. Swear dripped from his brow, and his skin became pale. She could tell he was suffering terribly. Just the way she wanted it. She stared at him blankly. A small cold smile formed on her face, no emotion behind it._

 _"J-juvia-chan..." He panted, eyes begging. " Don't you think this is enou-"_

 _He froze as she cocked her gun once again. Without pause, she aimed the gun at his throat, pulling the trigger. This time, he was unable to shout and suffered in silence._

 _"Don't ever say Juvia's name again," she spat out. " Its disgusting."_

 _Blood spurted out of his throat, and he was spewing blood out of his mouth. His eyes looked to her for help, searching hers for any kind of emotion. There was nothing. She watched as all of the life left him, his eyes slowly becoming clouded with nothingness. She stood in the same spot for what seemed like hours, just watching him die._

 _Sluggishly, she walked down the stairs, wanting to get the stench of his blood off of her as soon as possible._

 _"Y-y-you…"_

 _Juvia froze instantly upon hearing the shaky voice in the darkness. She looked around, finding a woman, shaking with fear. Her once beautiful and silky green hair was now in tangles. Her skin, which used flushed and alive with color, was now shaded pale with dark bags under her eyes. Her gentle eyes, once full of life and energy were now empty and now longer held love or emotion for the girl standing in front of her. She stood in the middle of the dead bodies downstairs, a knife in her shaky and unsteady hands. Tears were streaking down her pale cheeks, her face contorted in fury._

 _She started swinging the knife around, as if she were trying to slash at the air. Her arms moving erratically, she screamed._ _"YOU'RE A MURDERER, NOTHING BUT A PSYCHOPATH. I SHOULD HAVE SENT YOU BACK TO HELL A LONG TIME AGO, WHERE YOU BELONG."_

 _The tears finally left Juvia's eyes, unable to be held back any longer. She bit her lip to keep her from sobbing, as she reached into her back pocket. WIth her hand trembling, she held out her gun and pointed it at the woman. The woman shrieked and immediately charged towards Juvia, knife still in hand._

 _"MONSTER," she yelled._

 _Before the knife could touch her, Juvia pulled the trigger._

 _The bullet entered through the middle of the woman's chest, and she sank to the ground. The knife fell out of her hands, falling to the ground with a loud clatter. Juvia ran towards the woman's side, standing over her._

 _The rage was now gone from the woman's eyes, and now only held a touch of sadness as she stared at her. Blood was starting to leak out of her mouth as she tried to speak. Juvia could do nothing but look, as she positioned the gun to the middle of the woman's forehead. A small smile appeared on the woman's lips, as her last words escaped from her mouth._

 _"I… never loved you."_

 _Juvia's finger pulled the trigger, holding it tight. The woman was now laying dead on the floor, put out of her misery._

 _Juvia finally let the emotions escape, and her body racked with sobs. Her legs felt like jelly and she collapsed to the floor. She punched the floor, over and over again, filled with nothing but despair and sadness._

 _"Mother… please…. no…."_

* * *

 _She didn't know how long she just stayed there, kneeling on the ground. She sobbed, screamed, cried, until she couldn't anymore. Her throat felt dry and raw. The overwhelming scent of iron filled her nostrils, and it made her choke._

 _She was finally able to pull her eyes away from her and looked out the window. She just noticed the pitter-patter of the raindrops as they banged at the window. Drip. Drip. Drop. Drip. Drip, Drop. With that in mind, she walked through the front door, into the storm and leaving her parents' corpses behind. Along with her past._

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A/N: So I've just had this fanfic on my computer for a while, and I was hesitant on whether or not I should publish this. Welp, here I am. It's up to an okay start I guess?

Comments and constructive criticism are a-okay.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does._

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Chapter 2

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Gray woke up to the sunlight shining through the drawn curtains. Half-conscious, he blinked his eyes, his mind still a blur. He sat up in his bed and stretched, a loud yawn escaping from his mouth. He saw in the corner of his eyes, one of his maids setting down a platter at his bedside.

"Morning Gray!" Lucy greeted him with a bright smile. "Want some breakfast"?

She pulled the cover off to reveal fresh pancakes, eggs, bacon, along with some fruit and orange juice. The smell made its way to his nose, and he could feel his mouth start to water.

"You bet your ass I do," he said, as he made his way over to the food.

"Gray! A prince shouldn't say such things!" Lucy exclaimed, exiting the room. "And put on some clothes, will you? You've got a long day ahead of you!"

Gray looked down to see that he indeed, was not wearing any clothes.

"Aw man!"

He must have unconsciously stripped again in the middle of the night. It was a habit of his that he never really bothered to fix. He quickly shoved the food down his throat, pushing it down with the orange juice. After finishing, he hurriedly put on the first outfit he could find and rushed out the door.

' _Dammit_ ,' he thought. ' _I can't be late for another meeting again. Erza might actually kill me this time_.'

Gray burst into the conference hall with vigor, everybody in the room stopping to stare at him. He fixed himself up as professionally and calmly as he could, and made his way to his seat across the room.

"You're late Gray. Again," Erza stated.

Gray could feel the intense glare all the way from his seat. He shivered.

"S-sorry. Overslept again."

"Well don't let it happen again," Erza replied. "Now then, what were you saying, Makarov?"

Makarov cleared his throat, continuing from where he left off before Gray interrupted.

"As I was saying, there have been more intruders attempting to enter the castle lately. The guards even caught one of them last night. Unfortunately, before we could attempt to interrogate them, they escaped, killing a few of our guards. I assume they are after Gray."

"Again?" Gray questioned. "This has to be like, the tenth time this week!"

Ever since Gray was announced to be next in line for the throne, there have been many attacks, all at random times. He would become king after he comes of age and has a queen at his side.

"Indeed," Erza said, nodding. "We cannot risk it any further. Which is why we have decided to have a bodyguard hired for you, to be able to protect you at all times. "

"What?!" Gray exclaimed. " And you decided this without me?"

Makarov smirked. "Maybe you shouldn't arrive late next time, huh?"

Gray sank in his seat. "Yeah, yeah gramps. "

"You'll be glad to know that I picked this one myself," said Gajeel proudly.

The thought of having a bodyguard somewhat irritated him. It was like having a babysitter constantly breathing down your neck. And one chosen by _Gajeel_ of all people.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself " said Gray.

"Geeheehee," Gajeel laughed. "Sure you are. You'll definitely be prepared when they catch you sleeping buck naked, right?"

Gray growled, ready to strip his shirt off. "You tryin' to start something?!"

Erza slammed her fist on the table, silencing both of them.

"Enough with the petty fighting. Both of you are giving me a headache. In any case Gray, it's too late. Your bodyguard will be arriving here shortly. In fact, she should be outside right now."

* * *

She gawked at the humongous castle in front of her. Readjusting the duffel bag on her shoulder, she followed the guard, leading her to the castle doors. He took a key out or his pocket, unlocking the giant doors. He pushed them open, holding them back for her.

"In you go, miss," he said.

"Ah," she replied. "Thank you."

She entered the foyer and was greeted by a maid, a small girl. She was petite, with fair skin. Her blue hair was tied up into two pigtails, long and straight down past her bottom.

"Um," she spoke up shyly. "Are you Juvia? Juvia Lockser?"

"Yes," Juvia replied.

She could tell the little girl was intimidated by her stare, seeing as she was awkwardly avoiding her gaze. The maid cleared her throat and smiled, starting to walk in the other direction.

"Right this way then," she said.

Juvia followed, letting the maid lead her to another pair of closed doors.

"Right in the conference hall," she said, gesturing to the doors.

"Thank you," Juvia replied. "Uh..."

"Wendy," she said cheerfully. "Wendy Marvell. It was a pleasure to meet your acquaintance Ms. Lockser. "

Juvia nodded. "You also, Wendy. "

Wendy walked away, and Juvia entered through the doors. She was immediately greeted with silence, and stares from the four people in the room. Erza was the first to speak up, standing up and walking towards Juvia.

"Nice to meet you Juvia," she said, holding out her hand. "Erza Scarlet, head of the army." Juvia hesitated before reaching out and shaking it.

The woman had scarlet red hair, like blood. It was long, covering her back and reached all the way to her bottom. Brown eyes stared into hers, a sharpness to them. Strangely enough, she was wearing armor along with a blue skirt, and black boots. She lead her to the unusually large table in the room, and gestured to a chair.

"Do you want to sit down?," asked Erza. "You must be tired after walking all the way here. "

Juvia shook her head. Nonetheless, she dropped her heavy bag on the ground, resting her shoulders. "No, that's all right."

"Well then," Erza continued. "I'll introduce you. Everyone, this is Juvia Lockser." Erza started by pointing to Makarov. "This, is your majesty, King Makarov."

Juvia was shocked, to say the least. She was living in the poorer sections of the town and never actually saw the royal family. The elderly man was short, extremely short. He had black eyes and was bald, only the outer rims of his head having white hair. He also had a thick white mustache.

She got on one knee and bowed. "Your majesty," she said.

"Oh no Ms. Lockser". He grinned widely "No need to be so formal. Just relax and call me Makarov. "

She stood back up, nodding. "As you wish."

"Don't mind the old fart," spoke out the other man.

"Gajeel-kun. Should you really be so rude to the king?" asked Juvia.

"Geehee," he laughed, smirking. "Nah. The old man ain't as uptight as he actually looks, so you got nothin' to worry about. "

Makarov protested to this, and they started bickering at each other.

"I guess you already know Gajeel. He's the head of the guardsmen," Erza said. "Even though he may not look like it, he's actually very capable."

"Oi!" Gajeel gruffly barked out. "I heard that!"

Erza ignored him and moved on to the last man in the room.

"Gray, come here," she ordered.

The man sighed and reluctantly stood up from his seat. Now Juvia could get a better look of him. He had black hair, and dark eyes. Around his neck was a silver necklace that resembled a sword. Peeking out behind his hair, a scar on his forehead above his left eye. He was attractive... Handsome even.

"Juvia, this is Gray Fullbuster," said Erza. "Prince of Fiore, and your new employer."

"Nice to meet you," said Juvia. "Juvia is now at your service."

* * *

Gray observed the girl standing in front of her. She was a pale and slender woman, with a curvaceous figure (which Gray couldn't help but notice). Her blue hair, tied up in a high ponytail with bangs framing her face, going just past her shoulder. Her dark blue eyes seemed cold and empty, as if they had never experienced emotion. It reminded him of... a doll of some sort. She was sporting a black tank top, with black pants and combat boots to match. Her clothes seemed worn out, and a little bit dirty, but it added an edgy touch to her.

"Nice to meet you," she said. "Juvia is now at your service."

Huh... Speaking in third person... Strange. He'd never heard such a thing. It wasn't a bad thing, necessarily, just... Different. Gray inwardly composed himself, focusing back at Juvia.

"Glad to have you on board," he replied. "So... how do you and Gajeel know each other anyway?"

"We go wayyyyyyy back," Gajeel replied. "She's got skill, I'll tell you that. Even better than a lot of the guards here."

Gray was surprised at this. She didn't seem to look all that threatening. She was pretty petite, and a little bit shorter than Erza. It made her seem less threatening.

"I assume your weapons are in your bag?" Erza asked.

Juvia nodded.

"Okay. If you need anything, let me know." said Erza. "Gray, lead her to her room."

Gray gave her a puzzled look. "Which is...?"

"It will be the room right next to yours, of course," replied Erza. For extra security measures. "

Gray was shocked. "What? Out of all the rooms in this place..."

Erza gave him a glare. "Do you really want to cross me, Gray?"

He sighed in exasperation, giving out. "Fine...follow me, and bring your stuff. "

Juvia gave a brief nod, picking up her bag and following after Gray.

Erza stopped her abruptly, grabbing her wrist. She pulled Juvia close, whispering in her ear quickly.

"Remember: your job is to protect Gray at all cost. Kill if you have to. Don't hesitate, otherwise it'll be too late."

* * *

Juvia thought about Erza's words.

' _Kill any intruders if you have to...Don't hesitate..._ '

Of course, Juvia already knew this. After years of living as an assassin, she's been somewhat numb to any emotion. Her time of living out on the streets was tough on her, having to survive on mostly nothing. All she had was weapons, but she was smart enough to know that temporarily satisfying her hunger wasn't worth getting her hands dirty. Of course she needed reason to kill, she wasn't crazy. Traveling from place to place, she would occasionally be able to find a job, like disposing of someone, or there was someone who needed protection. It paid just enough money for her to be able to get things like food, water, and supplies. She would never be able to spoil herself with things like jewelry, or new clothes unless she actually needed them.

She got lucky though. Now, she's living with a roof over her head, and everything she needed in one place. And all she had to do was protect one person in exchange. Could this get any better? Lost in her thoughts, Juvia didn't realize Gray stopped walking. She noticed, and halted quickly, before she could collide into him. They were on the top floor of the palace, and stopped right in front of a large door.

"This'll be your room," said Gray.

He pointed to another door, to their left.

"That's my room. If you need something, or got questions, you can come knockin'. For now, you can go and get cleaned up."

Juvia looked down at her appearance. She did look like she could use a change of clothes, and was feeling a tad grimy after her training session in the woods.

She opened the door to her room, marveling at the inside. The bed was big, too big for just one person. The room was spacious, which she was grateful for. It even had its own bathroom and walk-in closet. The curtains were partly drawn, letting sunlight stream in through the windows. There were big glass doors, which led to a balcony outside. She closed the door behind her, and dropped her bag on the bed.

Entering the bathroom, she stripped everything off and drew a warm bath. She entered the tub, releasing a deep sigh. She could feel her muscles relaxing and her mind unwind. She's always had a natural affinity for water. She couldn't really explain it. She just loved the way the water felt, how it was always changing.

She soaked a while longer, the grime leaving her body. Sighing deeply, she sunk into the water, getting lost in her thoughts. Surprisingly, Gray was a part of them.

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A/N: Yay for updates! If you can, please review and tell me how it's going so far ʕథ౪థʔ. I would love to hear some of your guys' opnions!


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does._

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

Juvia pulled the plug, letting the water drain. She stood up, dripping wet and wrung out her hair. Stepping out of the tub, she grabbed a towel nearby and wrapped it around her body. The realization suddenly struck her. She didn't have any clean clothes with her. Actually, she didn't have any other clothes with her, period.

' _Maybe there are some in the closet…?_ '

She made her way to it, opening the doors. To her demise, there was nothing in there.

' _What now..? Maybe Gray-sama could help?_ '

With that thought in mind, she left the room and strode towards Gray's room, not caring that she only adorned a towel. She gave a few light taps and called out.

There were sounds of rummaging and shuffling. "In a sec!" He called out. He stumbled around the room, trying to get his clothes back on. He didn't even realize they were gone until he looked down at himself.

' _Goddamn stripping habit_ ," he thought. ' _It's like a curse_ '

He went over to the door and swung it open. "Hey-," the words got lost on his mouth, and he choked.

Juvia stood in front of him with a hand on her hip and a nonchalant look on her face. Even though she only wore a towel. A _TOWEL_. She was still slightly wet, dew drops clinging to her skin. Her damp hair was down this time, in soft waves. She was revealing a large portion of her cleavage, and the small towel just barely managed to cover her bottom.

"J-juvia!" Gray managed to spit out. He felt his face felt heat and he could tell he must've been blushing. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Ah," she answered simply. "Juvia doesn't have any clean clothes, and there was nothing in the closet… So Juvia was wondering if Gray-sama could assist..."

Gray grabbed her arm, tugging her inside his room. "You can't just… parade around the place without any clothes! What are people gonna think?!"

Juvia just gave him a blank stare.

Gray couldn't believe it. Did she really see nothing wrong in walking around in practically nothing? He let out a long sigh.

"Just… stay here until I get back. Don't let anyone in, and especially _do not_ leave this room. You got that?"

Juvia nodded. "Where is Gray-sama going?"

"I'm getting you some goddamn clothes, so hang on tight," he said. He left and closed the door behind him, leaving her alone.

' _Did Juvia do something wrong...?_ '

* * *

Gray knocked on Erza's door and heard footsteps. She answered, with a plate of strawberry cake on her hands.

"Do you need something?" she asked. "I was just about to eat my lunch."

"I would hardly call a cake lunch," he murmured. "Anyways, I need some clothes for Juvia. "

"Ah," Erza replied. "No problem." She walked into her closet, leaving Gray at the doorway.

"Was there nothing in her closet?" Erza asked.

Gray sighed. "Yeah something like that."

Some more rummaging could be heard in the closet. Erza appeared once again, with a bundle of clothes in her hands.

"These should be able to do for now," she said.

"Thanks," said Gray, retrieving the bundle into his arms.

Erza gave him a questioning look. "Did you see Lyon on the way here?"

"No..." Said Gray. "Why?"

"Well," she said. "Lyon was at the front gates, and the guards just sent him up to your room a few minutes ago. Perhaps you should go see him now. "

Gray sighed. "Shesh, that bas..." Gray trailed off, and froze in his tracks.

'Shit,' he thought. He took off, running towards his room. 'Dammit Lyon, right now of all times...'

* * *

Lyon Bastia walked through the halls of the palace, grumbling to himself.

' _That Gray... Who does he think he is? King? Well, technically, king-to-be, but... Ah whatever. That bastard. I should punch him the minute I see his damn face…_ '

He stopped in front of Gray's bedroom door, and burst in ready to attack.

"Oi! Gray! Y..."

He stopped and immediately did a double take. Gray was nowhere to be found. In fact, Gray was the last thing on his mind at the moment. In front of him sat what seemed like a goddess. Her wavy blue hair, beautiful pale skin and her curves... Wearing nothing but a towel, he could see a lot of those. The sunlight hit her body, making her seem like she was glowing. She looked like a doll, almost too beautiful to be real. He blushed furiously, and spoke quickly.

"I-is this what they call love at first sight?!"

* * *

The man's intrusion caught Juvia off guard for a moment. He was a man of average height and his body seemed muscular and toned, like Gray's. With silver hair, most of which are spiky strands that jut upwards on top of his head, except for some which are kept pointing down and partially cover the upper left part of his face. His eyes were slanted, with dark round pupils and surrounded by similarly dark lines. His face slowly turned red, and he stammered.

"I-is this what they call love at first sight?!"

This shocked Juvia even more. What was he doing here, and who was he? And then her mind jumped to the conclusion. _'Intruder!_ '

She sprung up from the bed, ready to attack. Before he could even blink, Lyon saw the world flip. "E-eh?"

She kicked him, and then flipped him over, slamming him to the ground. She then positioned herself on top of him, trapping him.

"What is your goal here?" Juvia asked ominously.

Before Lyon could respond, Gray came bursting into the room as well. "Juvia!" He said, between his breaths.

Gray had to take a minutes to assess the situation. He then burst out laughing. "Damn Lyon, you got your ass kicked. "

"Gray-sama, do you know him?" asked Juvia.

Gray stopped laughing, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Yeah, that's just Lyon."

Juvia hastily rose. She offered a hand to Lyon, who was still speechless, to say the least. "Juvia's apologies. "

Lyon stood up, brushing himself off. "No worries," he said. "Juvia-chan, was it?" He took her hand into his, gently giving it a soft peck with his lips. "May I say, you are the most beautiful flower I've ever seen. "

Gray scoffed, pulling Juvia away from him. He gave her the bundle of clothes, hastily directing her out of the room.

"Here," he said. "You can go to your room and change into this."

Juvia nodded. Gray waited for the sound of her closing her door before directing his attention back to Lyon. Gray sighed in exasperation.

"What the hell are you here for?"

Lyon smirked. "That's no way to treat an old friend, Gray. Besides, I was free and I thought we were going to catch up on things. "

"And that's why you decided to intrude into my room? Without informing me ahead of time?"

Lyon pondered for a moment. "Yeah. Pretty much. Speaking of which, just _who_ was that blue haired beauty? And why was she in your room dressed li-" Lyon's face turned into one of shock.

"Don't tell me... You... And her?!"

Gray got what he was getting at and immediately protested. "No! Oh god no! She's just the new bodyguard!... It's a long story."

Gray explained the whole situation, and Lyon calmed down again. "In that case," he smiled. "You wouldn't mind if I take her, would you?"

"She doesn't have time to go out on dates, ya know," Gray said, irritated. "Since she's working for _me_."

"Oh?" Lyon's brows rose. "Afraid I'll take her away?"

Gray scoffed. "Like I care. I just don't want you interfering with her job, of course."

"Gray-sama," a voice called out from the door. It was so sudden, both Gray and Lyon jumped.

' _Damn,_ ' Gray thought. _'Didn't even hear her coming'_

Juvia came back, this time wearing clothes. She wore a dark blue tank top, with black pants and flip-flops. Her hair was loose, with wavy curls and still slightly damp. At her hip was a belt with a holster, a gun inside.

Juvia looked to Gray. "Will Juvia's assistance be needed today?"

"I'll be hanging out in the gardens with Lyon," Gray said. "So you have the whole day to yourself."

Lyon sprung forward, taking Juvia's hands into his. "Unless of course, you want to join." He smiled widely, waiting for an answer.

Gray smacked him over the head, dragging him out of the room. "If you need us, you know where we are."

Lyon turned and blew her a kiss. "We'll meet again, my beautiful bluebell!" He proclaimed.

They left, leaving a slightly bewildered Juvia in their wake.

* * *

Gray and Lyon sat at the tables, set in the gardens. The sky was a clear, light blue, and the sunshine gazed down on them. The grass was a full and luscious green, and you could see basically every kind of flower there was. It decorated the vast field, bringing it to life with all kinds of vibrant colors.

"I still can't believe you forgot all about our plans," complained Lyon. "Because of that, I got attacked. And flipped. _FLIPPED_. By some girl I don't know."

He thought back to Juvia, the way her eyes bore into his. They were so... dark. And her curves, and the way the towel just barely covered her soft, creamy skin... "You know what, never mind. I'll have to thank you for that, Gray."

Gray scoffed. "You complain about me forgetting, yet your mind is somewhere across space."

Lyon blushed, embarrassed to be caught in the act. "Gray, you have to set me up with her."

Gray groaned. "No way am I getting sucked into your sappy schoolgirl crush. Besides, it's not like she'll have time. She works for me, if you didn't remember."

"Hmph," said Lyon. "You're just as stubborn as ever."

They stopped when a pink-haired figure approached them. Natsu came, with a tray in his hands. "Got you tea," he said.

He set the tray down, pouring Gray and Lyon a cup of tea. While Natsu was pouring tea into Lyon's cup, he accidentally splashed some onto his crotch area.

Lyon yelled out, quickly sprouting up from his chair. "Hothothothothot! Damn it Natsu, you tryin' to kill me?"

Natsu merely scratched his head, looking nonchalant. "Ah, sorry 'bout that Liam."

Lyon gave a look of frustration. "It's _Lyon_. You wanna fight, pinky?"

A vein popped up on Natsu's forehead. "IT AINT PINK, IT'S SALMON. AND I CAN BEAT YOUR ASS ANY DAY, BRING IT ON."

Gray inwardly face palmed. ' _Here for two seconds and he's already started a fight. Amazing._ '

Natsu's family, the Dragneels, had worked along with Fullbusters for who knows how long, and were always close friends. Ever since Gray and Natsu were kids, they would always bicker and fight in their free time. That's just how they bonded. He couldn't even think of a single day where he and Natsu were in the same room and didn't fight. Nonetheless, they were like brothers, and have had each other's backs for the longest time.

Gray snapped out of his thoughts when he saw that Lyon was picking up his chair, ready to launch. Gray sighed in exasperation.

"You guys better stop befor-"

Gray suddenly felt a sharp and sudden pain hit his forehead. He fell back, his chair toppling down with him. As he hit the ground, he realized that a goddamn chair was thrown at his face. A _chair_. He stood up, full of rage. Lyon had a look of shock plastered on his face.

"Oh. Whoops," he said.

Natsu was clutching his stomach, tears in his eyes and laughing hysterically. Gray stripped off his shirt and pants, a look of seriousness on his face.

"I take it back," he said, launching himself into the fight.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Another chapter! Sorry if the update took too long. School's started and I'm already dying ;_;

Review! Follow! Favorite! All that good stuff!


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does._

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

"So over there's a bathroom, that one's another room, and that over here's the kitchen."

Juvia sighed. She thought that she would be able to have some time alone, but Gajeel insisted on showing her around, and getting to know the place.

"Gajeel-kun, isn't this enough already?" she asked.

He scoffed. "We've only seen small part of the place, believe it or not. The place is fuckin' huge. Enough space to house a goddamn country probably."

Gajeel has always been blunt, and a bit of a brute. He and Juvia bumped into each other when Juvia was at a somewhat low point in her life. He found her digging through his trash at night, searching for something, anything edible to fill her empty stomach.

* * *

 _"Oi!" Gajeel called out, holding a flashlight. "What do y-" he stopped, and studied the girl in front of him._

 _She had blue hair, wavy and in a tangled mess. Her clothes were ripped and torn in a lot of places, covered with soot and filth. All she had on her was a small backpack. Her dark eyes were wide with shock, like a deer caught in the headlights. Her skin was pale, and cheeks sunken, as if she hadn't eaten in a while. Trash was all over the ground, and the bag was split open. She started to run away as Gajeel put two and two together._

 _"Oi!" he called out. She stopped, and turned toward him, full of hesitance._

 _"If you wanted food, you coulda just asked."_

 _He couldn't believe he was doing this. Inviting in a strange girl he didn't even know, at two am of all times. A girl that dug through his trash just moments ago. She still stood there, giving him a curious look._

 _"Don't worry bout it. It ain't like I'm a murderer or some shit. Besides, you look like you could use a bite or two. Or ten."_

 _After thinking it over, she graciously took his offer. They entered the kitchen, and Gajeel proceeded to make them some food. Juvia sat down at the table, observing the place. The house was small, and only had one bathroom and bedroom. The living room had a little bit more space, with a couch in the middle, facing towards a TV. It was actually very cozy, in a way._

 _Juvia was forced out of her thoughts when Gajeel plopped a large plate of food in front of her. He grinned, proudly._

 _"Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. It ain't too bad if I do say so myself"_

 _Gajeel entered into his bedroom as Juvia started scarfing down the food. She almost moaned with delight. It might have been the best thing she'd ever tasted in years. Especially since she was starving. By the time Gajeel had came back, she had already finished half her plate._

 _"Oi, slow down there," he said. "I ain't gonna be cleaning up your barf, got it?"_

 _Juvia reluctantly slowed down, realizing he was right. She looked to see that he had a blanket in one hand, and some clothes in the other. He plopped the blanket onto the couch, bringing the bundle of clothes to Juvia. She stopped eating, and gave him a puzzled look. He pointed towards the bathroom door._

 _"Shower's over there. You can sleep on the couch tonight if you want."_

 _He headed back towards his room. Before he closed the door, he heard a small voice gently whisper._

 _"Thank you."_

* * *

That was a while ago. Last week was the first time they had seen each other in years. That time, Gajeel housed her for months, and until she was able to get back up on her feet. You could say that she owed him. A lot. They'd learned a lot about each other in that short time, and even became what you would call friends. Back then, Gajeel was a blacksmith, working in a small shop. People called him "The Iron Dragon". After Juvia was able to get a job, they had parted way and never saw each other again afterwards.

' _How he went from that to the Head of the Royal Guardsmen, Juvia would never understand,_ ' she thought.

With his position, he could easily get Juvia a job at the palace. Which is exactly what he did. Gajeel knew of her abilities and skill. He had once blindly challenged her to fight, not knowing what she was capable of. Oh, the things she would give for a photo of his face that day. It was amusing to see someone curse that much.

Juvia and Gajeel spent the whole day together, looking through the palace first. After the tour, they went into town and Juvia was able to finally get new clothes, thanks to Gajeel.

He gestured to her new garments, all black or white. "Would it kill you to wear a little color once in a while?' asked Gajeel.

"It's simple and more effective," she answered. "There's no real need for color."

Gajeel scoffed. "Yeah yeah, whatever."

They were done shopping, and made their way back to the palace. By the time they got back, the sun was already setting.

"Goodnight," Juvia said.

Gajeel gave a grunt, and Juvia took it as an answer.

* * *

She made her way back to her room, and paused as she saw that Gray was also about to enter into his bedroom. He turned when he noticed Juvia.

"Hey," he said.

After their fight ended, Lyon and Gray continued hang out together until sunset. After that, Lyon went back home on the train to Lamia Scale.

Gray then noticed the bags in her hands. "Did you find some clothes?"

Juvia was about to reply, when she noticed the the was shirtless. Not only that, but there were bruises and small cuts all over his body and face.

"What, this?" he gestured to his body. "Don't worry about it. You know, a good old fashioned brawl never hurt anyone."

Juvia dropped her bags at her bedroom door and came to Gray's side. "Let Juvia apply medicine to these."

"It's fine," Gray protested. "Don't worry ab-"

"Juvia insists," she interrupted. "Besides, they'll heal faster that way."

A few seconds passed and Gray sighed. "Okay, fine." He opened the door to his room, leading Juvia inside. He plopped down on the bed, facing the sunset that shined through the windows. He pointed to the wall, where a white box hung.

"That's the first aid kit over there."

Juvia nodded, grabbing the box and preparing its contents. She sat down next to Gray, taking out a small white tube of ointment.

"This will help it heal faster."

As she applied the ointment, he tensed. She was close enough where he was able to smell her, and her shampoo. It had an earthy sort of scent, along with fresh flowers. It reminded him of a meadow after rainfall. The dewdrops would be lingering on the flowers, giving the feeling of a new spring.

Gray snapped out of his thoughts and tried to look away, attempting to hide what he could feel was a blush forming on his face.

 _'What the hell is happening? Man, I need to get some more sleep tonight._ '

Juvia closed the cap on the ointment, and packed it back into the kit. She rose off the bed, proceeding to put back the kit.

"Will that be all for today?" she asked, turning towards Gray.

Gray cleared his throat. "Be ready to wake up early tomorrow. We'll be going into town tomorrow, and you'll of course, have to come along."

Juvia nodded, silently making her way out of the room.

"Goodnight," spoke out Gray.

She paused at the doorway, her back still turned toward him.

"Night," she finally replied.

* * *

A/N: Sorry if the update took long, school has been killing me ;_;

Gruvia development next chapter? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does._

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

Juvia woke to a sound disturbing the silence in her room and quickly jumped out of bed. A young woman stood at her bedside table, with a tray of food. She was curvy yet slim, with long white hair that curled slightly at the end. Bangs framed her face and reached down to her chest. A short, upward ponytail was tied at the front of her head. Juvia relaxed when she saw the woman was a maid here.

"Good morning," she chirped, smiling. "Juvia, was it? Nice to see you! My name is Mira."

"Uh huh," Juvia replied, still feeling sluggish.

"After breakfast, get ready to go into town, okay?"

Juvia nodded, and Mirajane left the room. She ate her breakfast, only able to finish about half of it. The nightmare she had last night made her feel uneasy, and she didn't think her stomach would be able to handle any more food. She entered the bathroom, splashing her face with cold water. Her mind felt less tired, but she still felt uneasy. Why had the nightmares come back?

It's been years since she experienced them. Every time, she would wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, and be unable to go back to sleep. Luckily, last night wasn't as bad. Juvia was jolted out of her thoughts as a sharp knock rang at the door.

"Juvia?" she recognized the voice as Gray's. "You ready yet?"

"In a minute!" she rang out.

She quickly ran out the bathroom and got dressed. She went to open the door after putting on a white t-shirt and black pants, along with her boots. She also decided to leave her hair down, seeing as putting it up would take even more time. Heading out the door, she bumped right into Gray outside. She stood back to see that his clothes were more casual than what he wore yesterday. Today, he wore simple pants and a long-sleeved shirt, along with a hat that hid most of his face. Well, it would be bad if people caught sight of the prince, especially in public.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Hold on a minute," she said.

She went back into her room, opening her bedside drawer. Taking out two switchblades, she put one inside each boot. She also took out a handgun and tucked it into her pants, covering it with her shirt.

' _Can never be too careful_ ,' she thought.

"Ready," she said, and they headed off into the town.

* * *

It was lively, to say the least. Children ran and played around on the streets, with their parents frantically trying to catch up. There were also many different kinds of shops and restaurants that decorated the town. Gray walked next to her and gave a long, relieved sigh while stretching out his arms.

"It's nice to be out of that stuffy palace once in a while," he said.

Juvia nodded, her attention only half-way there. She scanned around, observing anything and everything that could be labeled as suspicious.

"Relax," Gray said, noticing the tension in her eyes. "We don't have to worry about that right now."

"But-"

"We're here to have fun," Gray interrupted. "So that's exactly what we're gonna do."

As Gray promised, they went all around the town. They spent the day visiting random shops and booths. They didn't buy anything, but had fun looking around and exploring.

After a few hours, Gray's stomach began growling demandingly.

"Man, I'm getting hungry," he said. "How about you, Juvia?"

Juvia shrugged. "Sure."

Gray smirked. "I know just the place."

After a few minutes of winding and zipping through the streets, Gray stopped in front of a small restaurant. It was small, the sign on top read "8-island". They went inside, and seated themselves at one of the booths.

"I'm ready to order," said Gray. "Do you want anything specific?"

Juvia shook her head, since she didn't know what they served here.

"Alright then," he said, "I'll order for you."

Soon after, a waitress came, with a pen and notepad in hand.

"What would you guys like today?" she asked cheerfully.

"Two caramade franks please," said Gray.

The waitress quickly jotted down the order.

"Will that be all?" she asked.

Gray nodded, and she skipped off into the back kitchen.

"Oh," gasped Juvia. "Juvia doesn't have the money to pay."

"Don't worry about that," Gray shrugged. "Besides, do you really think money would be an issue for me?"

Juvia didn't push on any further, realizing that he was right. Soon after, the waitress came back with their food.

"Two caramade franks!" she said cheerfully. "Let me know if you need anything else."

She walked off, not before giving a flirtatious wink at Gray. The action was small, but it didn't fail to irk Juvia somehow. She couldn't really describe it, but it was like the woman's presence was bothering her in a way. Was she over-thinking something?

"Here," said Gray, handing her one of the franks.

It was some kind of meat, inside a large bun. It was bigger than she thought it would be, and it was covered in a sticky and thick sauce. She didn't think she could fit it inside her mouth, and was hesitant upon eating it. She tried to tear off a piece from it, but her hand immediately got covered in the goo.

"You're way too sticky," Gray said, observing her with amusement. "Can't you eat it without getting it everywhere?"

"Ah… well… this is the first time Juvia has eaten it…."

Gray chuckled. "You eat a caramelized frank like this…" He lifted it up to his mouth. "You open your mouth really wide and then…"

He took a large bite, and his cheeks expanded with it. Juvia listened and copied what he did, eventually getting the hang of it.

Gray swallowed, smiling. "It ain't a high class food, ya know!" he said, giving a thumbs up.

"Although, it's probably best not to strip," Juvia commented.

While she wasn't looking, Gray somehow managed to be able to discard his shirt without either of them noticing.

"Shit!" Gray yelled.

He looked around frantically, and found his shirt under the table. People in the restaurant stared in bewilderment and amusement. He quickly put his shirt back on and sat down in his seat.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "It's… something that I happened to develop as a kid."

Juvia shrugged. "It's okay."

By the time they finished their food and paid, the sun was already starting to set.

"Great as always," said Gray, as they left the restaurant.

They were surprised to see that the streets were packed with people, all walking towards the same direction.

"Oh yeah!" said Gray. "There was gonna be a fireworks show tonight. We should go!"

"Gray-sama, are you sure you should be going home so late?" Juvia questioned.

"It'll be fine," Gray dismissed. "Besides, the worst that can happen is that Erza would find out."

He took her hand into his, and they merged into the parade of people in the street. His hand was big… and warm. It held onto hers tight, and gave Juvia a sense of protection somehow.

Suddenly, the warmth was yanked away as a hand roughly grabbed onto her arm. She was dragged into a dark alleyway, and was now out of sight. She quickly yanked herself away from her attacker, backing away. To her irritation, she was unable to see his face due to the large black hoodie he was wearing. The only part of his face that was revealed was his mouth, which bore a large smirk.

"Found you," he said teasingly.

Juvia stood her ground. "What business do you have here?"

"You know, you're a tough one to find," he said, ignoring her question. "We had to search far and wide to find you, and here you are."

"And who would 'we' be?"

He took a step towards her, and Juvia a step back.

"You can have all the answers you want," he said, smirk growing wider. "All you gotta do is come with us."

Juvia bore a blank face, not giving into the man's games. "As if Juvia would be dumb enough to do that," she said.

"Ooh? It's cause a that boy toy of yours, huh?"

Juvia's irritation grew further with his words.

"You gonna butcher him up too?"

With that, something inside of Juvia snapped. Her face no longer relaxed, now showed rage, her eyes wide with fury. She reached for the the weapon in her boot, and the blade flicked out. Charging forward, she stabbed at him. He stepped back, but not in time, as she was able to create a large gash in his arm.

"Argh!" He stepped back, holding his arm close. It was bleeding profusely, and he was biting his lip from the pain. But he stopped, as Juvia held the blade up to his neck.

"How…?" Juvia said through clenched teeth. "How do you know…?"

"Oi! Juvia!" yelled Gray's voice.

She turned around, meeting Gray's worried eyes. She held the blade behind her back, hiding it from his sight.

"There you are," he said, with a breath of relief. "I've been looking everywhere for you." His eyebrows scrunched up. "How'd you end up here?"

Juvia turned around, hoping to find the answer. But when she turned, she saw that the man had silently vanished, leaving only a small pool of blood in his wake.

* * *

Gray looked down at her blade. "Why do you have that out?"

"Ah…" What was she supposed to tell him? If she told him any of the truth, it would only cause him unnecessary worry. Or more questions would arise, leading to her past…

"Juvia just… thought she saw something… is all."

From the look on Gray's face, he wasn't very convinced, but he didn't push on any further, to Juvia's relief. But that didn't stop him from wondering.

* * *

They sat on the grass field, watching the night sky in anticipation. There were too many people at the beach, so they decided to come to a more secluded area.

"Nice, there's nobody around," said Gray, taking off his hat. "Jeez, now my head can finally breathe."

"So," he turned, his eyes locking into Juvia's "Are you gonna tell me what _really_ happened back there?"

Juvia's breath seemed to have caught in her throat, and she froze. So it looks like he really wasn't convinced yet. What was she supposed to tell him? The truth?

' _As if,_ ' she thought.

As she opened her mouth, a large and loud _BOOM!_ exploded out in the sky, startling them both. They turned their eyes to the sky. Sparks shot up in the air, and exploded. Then showers of glittering light would emerge and envelop the sky with colors. It was something that Juvia never had the chance to experience in her lifetime. She stared at the fireworks in amazement, her mind focused only on them.

Gray stared at the girl in amusement. Her wide eyes were glued to the sky, and her lips parted open. It reminded him of when a child goes to the candy store for the first time.

' _How cute,_ ' he thought. He stopped in his tracks, and he felt the heat creep up onto his face. He tore his eyes from her and looked to the sky instead. ' _Did I really just think that?_ '

* * *

About half an hour later, they got back to the palace.

"Gray!" a guard yelled, running towards them.

"Oh," said Gray. "Hey Alzack. What's wrong?"

"Erza… looking… you…" he spoke, trying to catch his breath.

"Shit," Gray said, shuddering. He could only imagine the things Erza would do to him now. He should've gone home earlier, but it was rare that he would be able to have time to himself, what with all the responsibilities he had. Gray thanked Alzack, and entered through the palace doors, Juvia following beside him.

He was immediately greeted by Erza, standing in the foyer with her arms crossed. Her eyes pierced into Gray's, a dark aura inside of them.

"Gray…" she spoke ominously.

A shudder ran through Gray's spine, and he felt a chill go through him.

"Ah, well you see…"

Suddenly, Erza leapt forward with great speed, punching Gray over the head. It spent him crashing to the floor and Juvia could've sworn she saw it crack.

' _Looks like Erza-san isn't head of the army for nothing…_ '

Gray stood up shakily, brushing himself off. "R-right. Won't happen again."

' _Although that's probably gonna be a lie,_ ' he thought.

"Hm," said Erza, seeming satisfied enough. "And thank you for bringing him back safely, Juvia."

Juvia nodded, giving a small bow. "It is Juvia's job, after all."

Erza started walking away, out the doors. "Both of you get to sleep then, it's late."

"Where the hell are you gonna go this time of night?" Gray asked.

"Business to take care of," she said, closing the door.

' _Probably going out with Jellal again,_ ' Gray thought. They've been going out few years now, and were thought of as the 'dream couple'. The only reason why they still weren't a secret is because Mirajane had once caught them making out, and just had to alert everyone about it. Let's just say it didn't really end pretty for her.

They made their way up the stairs, and into their rooms.

"Goodnight," said Gray.

"…night," replied Juvia.

* * *

Juvia stared at the clocking, ticking away in the night. The moonlight shone through the glass, softly illuminating her room. It was currently 4:32 am, but she couldn't go back to sleep after waking up. About an hour ago, she woke up in a cold sweat, the cause of yet another nightmare, the same one that she had last time. Dark shadows would come, trying to grab at her. In the end, they would always manage to catch up to her, no matter how fast she tried to escape. The illusion would end as everything went black.

Juvia stared blankly at the ceiling, stuck inside her own thoughts. She thought back to a time when she still lived with Gajeel, and she felt a strange sense of nostalgia wash over her.

* * *

 _He woke up and got out of bed, after hearing a loud crash in the living room. Drowsily, he opened the door and stumbled out of the bedroom._

 _"Tch, why do you have to make so much n…"_

 _He trailed off, looking at the fallen chair on the floor. His mind was no longer sleepy, but now wide awake and panicked as he looked at the girl before him. She was swaying slowly, her back towards him, with the rope around her neck. She showed no signs of movement, her arms hanging limply at her sides._

 _"Juvia!" he yelled, running towards her side._

 _Quickly but gently, he carried her body upwards, so the rope wouldn't dig into her neck. While carrying her with one arm, he pulled the rope over her head, releasing her from it. They both fell to the floor, Juvia landing on top of Gajeel. Juvia gasped and coughed, wheezing for air to enter her lungs once again. She couldn't help the tears that escaped her eyes as she stared at the ceiling, her head resting on Gajeel's legs as he sat on the floor._

 _"Why… didn't you just let Juvia die…?"_

 _He looked at her, and a look of empathy seemed to fill his eyes._

 _"Juvia's done things… so many monstrous things… it's not like she'll be missed." She couldn't stop the shakiness from making its way into her voice._

 _"Care too little, you lose them… Care too much you get hurt…" Gajeel murmured under his breath. He said it so quietly Juvia had strained to hear it._

 _Juvia looked up at him. "Wha…"_

 _Gajeel sighed. "Look, Juvia," he began. "You don't have to live just for the sake of others. You're allowed to want to live, even if it's just for yourself. No one is allowed tell you otherwise, it's_ your _life."_

 _"…but," she started._

 _"And besides," Gajeel interrupted. "I'll… probably miss your ass."_

 _He muttered the last part so quietly, Juvia almost didn't hear it. But she did, and it brought even more tears to her eyes. Shakily, she gave a small smile._

 _"Thank you… Gajeel-kun."_

* * *

She didn't like to dwell on the past very much. It made her feel uneasy, and it gave her stomach a sick feeling. Shutting her eyes once more, she attempted to fall into sleep again. Letting her mind slip, she slowly fell into unconsciousness, everything going dark. If the room wasn't deafeningly silent, her ears might not have picked it up. But she did, and it brought her once again, back to a state of awakening and panic. It was the unmistakable sound of a gut-wrenching scream, coming from Gray's room.

* * *

A/N: Yay, updates! So school has been biting me in the ass (excuse my language) and I am _this_ close to fighting my teachers ;_;

But I am going to _try_ to update more because I love writing for this story :)

Review! Follow! Favorite! All that good stuff!


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does._

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

Immediately, she jumped off the bed, grabbing for her gun on the nightstand. Instead of choosing to burst in through the door, she chose to go through the balcony, planning to sneak up on the attacker. She stood in the middle of the balcony, taking a running start. She jumped over, making it onto Gray's, which was next to hers. Quickly opening the doors, she was searching and aiming the gun.

But there was nothing there, only darkness.

She lowered her gun, eyes widening. Instead, she saw Gray in bed, tossing and turning in his sleep. His face was scrunched up, as if he were in pain. His forehead covered in sweat, cheeks streaked with tears, and muttering nonsense in his sleep, too low for Juvia to hear. She walked to his side, putting her hand on his shoulder. She shook him slightly, in an attempt to wake him up.

Suddenly, his hand shot out, and grabbed her wrist with great force. The gun fell out of Juvia's hands and fell to the floor with a loud clatter. THe surprise threw her off balance, sending her tumbling onto the bed.

She noticed herself to be in an awkward position as she looked up at Gray's face. He was hugging her tightly the waist, holding her close to his body.

"Don't leave… don't leave… don't…" His voice was quiet, but it was filled with such heart-wrenching desperation. He repeated the words over and over again, tears still escaping his closed eyes.

"Shh," Juvia hushed, whispering softly. "It's okay… it's okay…"

Soon enough, his voice fell silent and the tears stopped. Even so, he still held onto her body with a fierce grip, making it hard to slip out. Every time she managed to loosen his arms a bit, he would tighten his grip even more. After a few minutes, she decided to just give in. If she used her full strength, she was afraid Gray would awaken again. Instead, she sunk back into a dream state, too tired to care about anything else but sleep.

* * *

Gray knew he had to get up, but his body refused to move. It was just too comfortable. Half-conscious, his mind was still drowsy, heavy with sleep. Slowly, he attempted to crack open his eyes. It took him a few moments to try and adjust to the sunlight that shined elegantly through the open balcony doors.

Wait, what? He was sure that those were closed when he went to sleep. And what was this weight in his arms…?

He looked down at the bundle of blue hair next to him. His eyes widened in bewilderment as Juvia slept peacefully within his arms. She was close enough to the point that he could see each and every individual eyelash. Her breathing was soft and steady, her lips slightly parted open.

Gray felt time slow down as he remembered what happen. His memory was somewhat a blur, but he still had that nightmare stuck in the back of his mind. His parents… Ur… No matter how hard he tried, he just could never catch up to them. He had failed to save them, over and over. Every time, they would slip through his fingers and he would be forced to watch it unravel. ' _Why?_ ' he would always ask himself. ' _Why them_?'

He focused back once again at Juvia, observing her. Her skin was porcelain, not a single flaw upon it. THe sunlight made it seem like it was glowing, so smooth and radiant. Before he knew it, curiosity got the best of him and he felt his hand proceed to reach out to it. As soon as his fingers gently made contact with her cheek, Juvia's eyes opened. Stunned, he jolted his fingers away and gazed back into her eyes, perplexed. Staring blanking at nothing, she blinked a couple times, trying to get a hold of her surroundings. She finally looked up at him, and the events of last night finally came back to her.

The only thing they could do at the moment was stare at each other. They were looking so deep into each other, as if they would be able to find all the answers there. An awkward silence seemed to flood up the room, suffocating them. Gray managed to get a hold of his senses and released Juvia out of his grip, clumsily scrambling out of the bed.

"U-um… uh… about that…" Gray stuttered, keeping his eyes stubbornly glued to the floor. "What… exactly happened?"

Juvia rose from the bed, now sitting at the edge. "You were… struggling in your sleep. Juvia heard the noise and came here…"

Gray put his hand up, stopping her from continuing any further. His face made it seem like he was in pain.

' _Now that I think about it…_ ' He could vaguely recall reaching out for a dark figure in the night. He put his hand through his hair, sighing tiredly.

"Juvia…" He finally looked up at her, his face blank. "Forget… about what happened last night. Don't tell anyone about it either. It's an order."

Juvia stood, her face just as expressionless. "As you wish, Gray-sama. Also… your clothes."

Gray looked down to see that he was now wearing nothing but his boxers, his clothes laying strewn on the floor.

"Shit," he cursed. ' _Now of all times..._ '

He pulled his pants back up. They only made it up to the knees before they heard a knock on the door.

"Gray, breakfast," rung a soft voice through the door.

"Mira, wai-"

Gray's protest was unheard as Mira opened the door, holding a tray of food.

"By the way," Mira said, "have you seen…"

She stopped as she saw Juvia standing in the room. She then looked over to see Gray putting back on his pants. He could tell that the gears in her head were turning as her eyes widened.

"W-wait," she stuttered. "Don't tell me… you two…"

"Yes," Juvia answered.

Mira's eyes got impossibly wider and Gray also had the same expression on his face.

"Juvia was checking up on Gray-sama," Juvia lied easily. "That is what Juvia is supposed to do, right?"

Mira regained her senses, composing herself. "Ah… well… yes, o-of course. That makes sense."

Gray sighed with relief. ' _Thank god._ ' What was he supposed to do if word got out the prince was sleeping around? Before marriage, and with his bodyguard no less? It could ruin his solid reputation before he was even crowned.

"It is only Juvia's job after all," she said, walking out the door.

* * *

The rest of the week was quiet for Juvia. She also hadn't talked to Gray during that time, since he was busy doing whatever inside the palace walls. He didn't need her then, so she was spending her time doing more training.

 _Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh._ She stood alone in one of the training rooms of the after the other, the knives hit the targets on the wall with deadly accuracy. After a few hours of training, she finally decided it was time for a break. She sat down, drinking her water and lost in her thoughts.

All week, there seemed to be some kind of barrier between her and Gray. She could tell it was intentional too. He would always want to be alone in his office, busy with some kind of paperwork. Since he wasn't leaving the palace, her protection was unnecessary. He would also avoid looking directly into her eyes every time they would talk, which wasn't much.

She was thrown out of thoughts as a towel came flying at her. She caught it, looking up at Gajeel as he stood there, smirking.

"Gettin' lost in la la land, huh?" he asked.

"It was nothing," she replied simply, wiping away her sweat with the towel.

Gajeel took a look at the targets and gave a long whistle. "Nice."

"Maybe you could use some practice Gajeel-kun," she said. "It wouldn't hurt."

HIs eyebrows scrunched up. "You tryna say something?"

"What Juvia is saying, is that your methods of attack are too rash."

She can clearly remember a time in the past when Gajeel nearly killed a stinger in broad daylight. He thought the man was trying to attack him from behind, but it turned out that he was actually trying to return a wallet to him. Gajeel probably would've gotten arrested, had the man not been too terrified to say anything.

Gajeel gave a scoff, waving his hand. "That was a hell of a long time ago. I've gotten way better, if I do say so myself.

Juvia rose an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Gajeel hands turned into fists as he raised them. "Wanna test me?"

Standing up, Juvia took position.

"Of course," she said.

And so, the spar began.

* * *

He stared at the stacks of paper in front of him. He thought he could distract himself with all the work, but he was bored out of his mind. His hand cramped from all of the writing, and his mind was tired from working so long. He put his face in his hands, sighing.

 _'Why does this have to be so difficult?'_

Truth be told, he really was avoiding Juvia. Every time he looked at her, it would lead his thoughts back to the night before. It would evidently lead his mind back to that night… Just the thought of it gave him chills, his stomach felt like it was in knots.

Most of the people in the palace that worked there knew of the event, since they were there that night. It was agreed to be hidden from the public, as they didn't want to cause any more panic.

For the longest time after that, he would have nightmares, never really having enough sleep. Sometimes, when it was bad enough, Natsu would have had to come in and force him to wake up. It was something that was never verbally spoken about between the two.

After much thinking, Gray got up and left the office with his decision made up.

* * *

A gentle knock alerted Juvia, pulling her out of her book.

"Juvia?" Gray's voice rung out.

She settled the book down on her bed, inviting him in.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. His face had a look of worry, his eyes seeming tired.

"Well… I think it would be better if I sat down for this. Do you mind?"

She shook her head, and they both took a seat on the bed. He couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes, so her looked at his hands instead. They were trembling slightly, clenched so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

"So, I guess you might have noticed…"

"That you were avoiding Juvia?"

She said it so bluntly it almost made him wince.

"Yeah… sorry about that by the way."

She merely shrugged. "Juvia is sure you had your reasons."

"Well that's why I'm here." He finally brought up the courage to look her in the eyes. Her face was expressionless as ever, giving nothing away. He willed himself to do the same, not wanting t be overwhelmed by his thoughts.

"You should know the whole story. Of what happened here in this palace, years ago."

* * *

A/N: Sorry the chapter was so short, but I'm gonna make it up to you guys in the next one :)

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	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does._

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

 _Gray awoke with a start, scanning his surroundings. His eyes barely half-open, his mind was still drowsy with sleep. He thought he heard something... Maybe it was just his imagination? He snuggled back under the covers, dismissing the thought._

 _It wasn't even a minute later when loud crashes rang through the halls outside, and he could hear voices yelling. What the heck were they doing at this time of night? His curiosity got the best of him, so he stepped out of the room towards the noise. The halls were engulfed in darkness and he couldn't see too well, but he did notice the random lumps that were scattered randomly around in the hallway._

 _'What the…"_

 _His thoughts stopped. Everything seemed to stop around him. His breath caught in his throat and he knew he must've been shaking to his bones. He stood over one of the lumps, sick to his stomach._

 _It turned out to be guards, all of whom were dead on the floor. The sickening stench of iron and metal filled his nostrils. Under them was a pool of blood, some of which came from their mouths. Their eyes were glazed over, their spirits seeming to have left them completely._

 _Looking closer, he could see a trail of blood drops, leading down the hall. His eyes widened as he could see the trail stopping right at his parents' bedroom door._

* * *

 _His small and sweaty hands fumbled with the knife. He managed to find one on a guard, taking it just in case. Slowly and cautiously, he made his way towards his parents' door, the voices inside growing louder with each step. With shaky legs, he was still somehow able to peek in without being noticed._

 _Fear coursed through his body as he watched through the crack in the door. His mom on her knees, trembling with fear in her wide eyes. She had her arms wrapped around herself as if to try and stop the shaking. His dad however, stood in front of her trying his best to protect her from harm. All he had in his hands was a small handgun. His breathing was heavy and Gray was even more shocked to see blood running down his father's face. A bloody slash made its way across his face, from the top left of his forehead all the way to his left ear. He could tell it would leave a big scar there later._

 _In the middle of the room however, stood a man Gray had never seen before. He was tall, at least six feet in height with a large torso. Gray could only see the side of the man's face, but it still terrified him. His teeth were bared… He didn't know if he could even call them that, since they looked more like fangs. Black unruly hair and clothes, his eyes making him seem like a madman. In his hands was a machete, soaked in blood that was dripping to the floor._

 _"Deliora," said Silver, Gray's father. "What reason do you have for doing this?"_

 _The man's wicked grin grew wider, showing more of his horrid fangs. "It's fun."_

 _Silver shook with rage, raising the small handgun at Deliora. "You bastard!" he yelled._

 _It all happened in a flash. Deliora shot forward, seeming to go as fast as lightning. Silver was knocked to the side with such force, he hit the dresser nearby while knocking it over. The handgun fell from his hands and he yelled out in pain._

 _"The pain and suffering," Deliora said. "I want to see more of it."_

 _He snapped his head towards Mika, Gray's mother. She jolted back, her eyes filling with tears._

 _Deliora raised his weapon, which seemed to glow menacingly in the dim light of the moon. Everything after that seemed to be in slow motion, as if they were moving inside jello. His steps toward her seemed agonizingly slow, but there was nothing anybody could do about it now._

 _He slashed, finally bringing the blade down. It cut at her throat, and they knew there was no going back from there. Blood spurted out, and the drops seemed to float in the air for a little bit. Before she even hit the ground, they both knew. They knew the moment they saw the light leave her eyes, the eerie stillness that finally stopped the shaking._

* * *

 _Both Gray and Silver screamed, only desperation in their voices. But Deliora only took notice of Silver, not yet aware of Gray's presence._

 _"That!" Deliora yelled. "That's the face I want to see!"_

 _Silver slowly stood up, legs shaky. Tears cascaded down his cheeks, his face wet. His face was what shocked Gray the most, since he'd never seen that expression on his father._

 _Only fury and rage was shown, his eyes also wide with what seemed like a mix of grief and anger._

 _"Demon…" he seethed._

 _Lashing out, he tackled Deliora to the ground with surprising force. This caught Deliora off guard, his weapon skittering to the ground across the room. They proceeded to engage in a messy brawl, attempting to attack with just their fists._

 _To Silver's demise, he was no match for Deliora and his bigger build._

 _At some point, the fight changed. Deliora was now landing more punches than Silver, and it didn't look well for him now. Soon enough, Deliora managed to bring Silver down, injured on the ground. Silver tried to defend against Deliora's advances, putting his arms up as protection. It didn't do much for him as Deliora also continued to kick over and over again._

 _"Sneaky little bastard," he sneered._

 _Silver could only stay on the ground, groaning in pain. Not only was there scars, but now there were bruises all over his body. Meanwhile, Deliora proceeded to pick his weapon back up, a smile back on his face. He also had some bruises and marks, but not nearly as bad as Silver's._

 _"Now then, what should I do with you…?"_

 _With much struggle, Silver managed to bring himself up into a sitting position._

 _"Fight me," he coughed, "like a real man."_

 _Deliora held the blade to Silver's throat, close enough to draw a little bit of blood._

 _"Or you could drop dead right here and now."_

* * *

 ** _._**

 ** _._**

 _ **.**_

 _ **where can you find a heart**_

 _ **without a single scar?**_


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I still do not own Fairy Tail_

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

 _Everything felt numb to him now, except for the heaviness. Was there not enough oxygen in the air? His chest felt trapped, and he struggled with every breath. He was numb all the way to his toes and fingers, unable to move or say anything. The only sound that came out of him was a pathetic gargle from his throat, too shocked to even cry out. His legs were too weak as he dropped to the ground._

 _Was this real? It couldn't have been. It shouldn't be. But the unavoidable stench of blood seem to suffocate him, his heart pounding so loudly in his ears he was surprised they couldn't hear it. And he couldn't deny it any longer._

 _He looked through once more too see the man still standing in the middle of the room, occupied with cleaning the blood off his weapon. Blood… the blood that belonged to his parents._

 _Gray looked to the knife in his clenched fists, which were shaking. But now, instead of fear, he was shaking from the anger that begun boiling up inside of him. He was seething with the fact that this monster continued to live while his parents lay dead on the floor._

 _No, he wouldn't allow it. He couldn't._

 _Blind with rage, he burst into the room, the knife ready and raised._

 _What he wasn't ready for, however, was the speed at which Deliora reacted. He immediately knocked Gray to the side, as if he was no more than a mere bug. Gray flew and felt the wind get knocked out of him as he landed on the floor._

 _Deliora eyed Gray as he struggled to get back on his feet, watching him as if he was his next meal._

 _"I'll kill you… I'll kill you, Deliora!" Gray's anguished cries seemed more desperate than angry, as hot tears streamed down his face. How could he just take his parents away… how_ ** _dare_** _he._

 _Deliora narrowed his eyes. "So you must be their brat…"_

 _His low chuckle sent a chill through Gray's spine._

 _"… You're nothing more than a bug. Get out of my sight."_

 _"I should say the same to you," said a female voice from the door. The woman of average height had a slim, curvaceous figure. Her were black and she kept her dark purple hair at chin length, cascading down the sides of her face and covering her ears. Only a few strands of her hair hung down her temple, some falling between her eyes. And her eyes showed anger._

 _Gray's neck snapped up so quickly it almost hurt._ _"Ur..." his whisper barely audible. "What..."_

 _She gave a small smirk of reassurance to him, but it was short. With the worst glare she could muster, she finally pointed her eyes to Deliora._

 _" **You** ," she said, venom laced within her voice._

 _Deliora snarled, but in amusement. His feral eyes scanning her up and down, he gave her a cold smirk. "Finally, something more interesting to play with..."_

 _"Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten about me," s_ _he lightly touched her thigh with her fingers. No, not the leg of skin and flesh... but her prosthetic, visible from the pajama shorts she wore._

 _Gray gasped. He could remember when he first met her, asking about what happened to her leg. But now that he thought about it, she had never given him an actual answer. Even when he asked Lyon about it, he didn't seem too sure of it either. He had stopped asking about it, eventually getting used to the sight. But his curiosity had never completely dwindled away. Until now, that is._

 _Deliora scoffed. "As if I could keep track." He gestured towards the two bodies on the floor. "And you're a bit too late."_

 _Gray could see Ur trying her best not to lunge at the monster and rip him to shreds on the spot. But with her hands balled up into tight fists, jaw clenched tensely, she looked like she would snap any moment now._

 _"Mika... Silver..." her voice shook._

 _Ur, Silver, and Mika were very close friends when they were kids, up until they were teenagers going their separate ways. Silver had many more responsibilities as the prince, and Mika along with him since they were dating by then. Ur however, had dreams of adventure and exploration. After she was gone, they didn't see each other until they were adults. One day, Ur had come back after Silver and Mika were already crowned king and queen. And to their surprise, with a young boy named Lyon Vastia. Of course, they offered her a job and let her stay in their home, which eventually led her to becoming both Lyon's and Gray's mentor and tutor._

 _To see the their bodies lying on the floor... Her body started to tremble and she grit her teeth._

 _"Gray..." her voice caught his attention once again. "Are you hurt anywhere?"_

 _His back was somewhat sore from when he was hit, but he didn't want to worry her._

 _"No, nothing I can't handle."_

 _"Good. Then get out of the way and run, as fast as you can." She reached behind her back and pulled out the gun from her pocket, aiming at Deliora._

 _"But Ur!"_

 _"Gray," her voice more stern. " **Now**."_

 _"No!" Gray continued protesting, much to Ur's frustration. "I can't just let y-"_

 _"You know what," Deliora's voice interrupted, "both of you can stay and die by my hand, how about that?"_

 _He charged, a roar escaping his lips. Ur was not slow to react, as she was all ready to shoot. Her finger squeezed the trigger. Once. Twice. Three times. The sound made Gray's ears ring and he flinched. He heard the sound of glass shattering, which must've been the windows being hit. But what surprised Gray the most was what he didn't hear. The sound of a bullet going through flesh and blood, the thud of a falling body. No, because it didn't happen._

 _Instead, Deliora had ducked to the ground in order to avoid being hit. None of Ur's bullets had even scratched him, and now he was springing up again for another attack._ _Before Ur could take another shot, he tackled her to the ground._

 _"Ack!"_

 _The gun flew out of her hand in the process and skittered across the floor, to the other side of the room. There was a few seconds of struggling on the ground before Ur managed to push Deliora off of her._

 _"A tough one," he grinned wildly. "Killing you will be even more fun!"_

 _Deliora's face contorted into unexpected surprise as he fell. Ur pulled a low swinging sweep kick as he was talking. Taking this chance, she grabbed at whatever she could to use as a weapon. In this case, she grabbed the vase that stood on the nightstand. She pounced on top of him, raising her arm for attack._

 _"Argh!" she yelled, hitting it over his head. The vase exploded into pieces, more glass littering the floor._

 _Ur's hand was pierced by some glass shards, but it was nowhere near as bad as Deliora. He clutched one of his eyes in pain, swearing out practically every word in the book. His face had cuts everywhere from the glass, and wounds that bled much more than Ur's. With the shards that made it into his eye, it seemed like he was crying tears of blood._

 _"Bitch!" he swore with fury._

 _He swiped at her with his free hand, but she was already off of him, ready to strike again. Deliora rose, letting go of his eye. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be too affected by the glass in his hands or face, only the right eye._

 _"Well, this has lasted long enough don't you think?" Ur said._

 _"Tch," he scoffed. "Agreed."_

 _Ur put her arms up, standing in a defensive position._

 _Then, he charged. But Ur was not prepared for this. She wasn't prepared for the fact that Deliora charged, but right at Gray, who was still sitting defenseless on the floor._

* * *

 _Gray was backing up as far as he could, trying to distance himself from Deliora. When he hit the wall, he felt himself get smaller and smaller as Deliora got closer. He could no longer escape. All he could do was hide behind his arms, which he used to shield his face._

 _" **NO!** " he heard Ur cry._

 _Gray waited for the attack to come._

 _And waited._

 _And waited._

 _But nothing came. Why had nothing happened to him? Shouldn't he be dead right about now? He slowly and hesitantly opened his eyes, lowering his arms._

 _Ur stood in front of him, arms open wide as if to protect him. She was slowly lowering her arms and let them return to her side._

 _"Ur... what..."_

 _Suddenly, Deliora started to chuckle. It quickly built into mad laughter and cackling, as if he lost his mind._

 _"People are idiots! All of them!"_

 _"G-gray," Ur said meekly. "G-go. Please..."_

 _"Ur...?" Gray said anxiously. "What's wrong...?"_

 _Deliora drew his hand back, and now he knew what she meant. Because when he saw what was in Deliora's hand, the whole room seemed to still in his eyes. The blade in Deliora's hand was covered with blood, dripping down the handle now. **Ur's blood.**_

 _She stumbled and tripped, falling sideways. Her face held a grimace of pain that when he saw it, made Gray's heart feel like it was being twisted. Her shirt now had a dark stain that wasn't there before. She was holding the wound at her stomach tightly, but to no avail. The blood just kept coming. And coming. And coming..._

 _"This is what you get!" Deliora kept cackling. "Did you think you could stop me?!"_

 _Gray sobbed, his voice a dry croak. "No..."_

 _Deliora's laugh rang through his ears._

 _'Shut up shut up shut up shutupshutup **SHUT UP. STOP IT. STOP!** '_

 _The laughter wouldn't stop. It was there, it was in his ears, it was in his head, it was **everywhere**. He didn't want to hear anymore, he just wanted it **all to stop**._

 _The loud bang of a gunshot went off._

* * *

 _When had he grabbed it? He doesn't remember grabbing it. But there it was, right in his hands. He could feel the cold metal of the gun, and his finger around the trigger. The trigger that he pulled._

 _Deliora's laughter had stopped. It **finally stopped**. His eyes were now blank and lifeless, and the blade slipped from his now dead hands. His body fell to the ground like a limp rag doll. Right above his left eyebrow, was a hole where there bullet had went through. From there, blood spilled onto the floor._

 _Gray's arms were still raised, his finger still tightly squeezing on the trigger. He was shaking so badly, as if he were cold. His fingers were cold. It spread all the way up to his arms... his body... and finally, his head... Everything was ice now. And eventually, the ice would snap and he would be reduced to nothingness..._

 _"Gray..."_

 _Ur's voice warm yet pained voice pulled Gray away from his insanity. He dropped the gun onto the floor with a clatter, rushing immediately to her side. He was kneeling over her body, looking at her with tears in his eyes._

 _"Ur..." he sobbed quietly, anguish in his voice. "I'm sorry... I wasn't- I-"_

 _"Shh," she raised a hand, caressing his wet cheek. Her hand was stained with blood, but he let it happen. "Gray... I have a favor to ask of you."_

 _Gray's voice shook. "Why did you do it, Ur..."_

 _"With my two pupils growing day by day... every day an adventure... that was all the happiness I'll ever need." Her voice shook slightly at the end, and she was unable to keep her tears back any longer. She stared up at the ceiling, a sad look reflected in her eyes._

 _"I want Lyon to see more of the world... and you too Gray. If that monster was your darkness, then I had a reason to fight it. I wouldn't allow him to get anywhere near my pupils."_

 _"I wasn't able to do anything," Gray's sobbing got louder. "I'm sorry Ur, I'm sorry. I'm **so sorry** "_

 _Ur looked at him, giving a small smile to him. It was as if she was getting colder with every passing minute, her skin losing its color. "It's not your fault Gray... it's no one's fault except for Deliora. Besides, this was just a hurdle to take back my happiness. Your happiness."_

 _Gray's wailing escalated, and his throat felt raw._

 _"Don't be sad..." Ur said quietly. Her voice also seemed to be losing its power. "I'll live on..." She put her hand to the middle of his trembling chest. "Right in here."_

 _He grabbed her hand, holding onto it as if it was a lifeline. "Please... I lost mom and dad already.. I can't lose you too..."_

 _Ur sighed sadly. "Gray..."_

 _"Please!" his voiced etched with desperation now. "I'll do anything! I'll be a good pupil! I'll-I'll listen to everything you say from now on! I won't do anything bad anymore, just **please don't leave**!"_

 _"Go forth to your future..." her voice barely a whisper now. "And you will be able to seal up your darkness."_

 _Everything was silent after that, except for Gray's cries._

 _"Ur...?" Her eyes were looking at him, but no longer looking **at** him. They seemed to be looking straight past him, as if she were empty. As if... she wasn't there anymore._

 _Gray's voice cracked. The room was cracked. Everything was cracking in front of him, crumbling and breaking off into millions of pieces. The blood, the death, the life that was left in him... all into tiny little pieces. And he left the pieces there, to get swept away by the darkness that consumed him._

* * *

 _**let the rain**_

 _ **wash away**_

 _ **all the pain**_

 _ **of yesterday**_

 _ **...**_

* * *

A/N: Please don't kill me! I'm so sorry this chapter took such a long time, but you know how life gets sometimes. And I just was never completely satisfied with how the chapter would turn out, so I kept editing it. And this was what I decided to go with :) I would really love to hear what you guys think of this chapter.

Review! Follow! Favorite! All that good stuff!


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